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There is an uncomfortable line of thought within the Christian worldview, particularly for those who would choose a religion for the favorable qualities it offers. That is, the life of a believer is not one which is void of disappointment. We do not cease to live with discontent because we live with Christ. Though the sources of our disappointment will vary, it can play an important role in the journey of a believer. In fact, the experiences of the earliest followers show that God makes good use of disappointment in the lives of those God loves.

In the Old Testament, God speaks of the disappointment in the hearts of the people of Israel as a signpost to truth. When we have wandered away from our first love, when we have settled for something less than God’s promises, disappointment can show us the way back home. God identified the dissatisfaction among the people of ancient Israel as an indicator that all things apart from his presence will alwaysfall short of filling their hearts. The second chapter of Jeremiah is filled with the imagery of inevitable disappointment for those who seek to supplement the love of God with other pursuits:

“Now why go to Egyptto drink water from the Shihor?And why go to Assyriato drink water from the River?Why do you go about so much,changing your ways?You will be disappointed by Egyptas you were by Assyria.You will also leave that placewith your hands on your head,for the LORD has rejected those you trust;you will not be helped by them” (Jeremiah 2:18, 36-37).

When we face disappointment we are faced with a choice. It can lead us further into futile pursuits for fulfillment or it can be the signpost that causes us to turn around and be welcomed back into the arms of the Father. If we will allow Him, this is one way God can use disappointment in lives of believers.

But this type of disappointment is far different from what we might call holy discontent, theunsatisfied longing that reminds us we are not yet home. In the hands of God, this can be an equally powerful signpost.

Saint Augustine is often quoted for his words about restlessness and dissatisfaction. On the first page of his Confessions, Augustine summarizes the story of his life in a single confession to God: “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” So often this line is quoted as the quality that distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever, the rested from the restless. But I don’t think this is what Augustine intended, nor do I think it is a helpful place to draw the line. Those who confess Christ as Lord do not cease to confess disappointment. Moreover, one cannot read Augustine’s Confessions without realizing that he saw himself as a restless soul; he saw all of us this way, and for a reason. As believers, we still struggle with sin and disappointment. We are still restless, still longing, still at times discontent. Our longing is partially satisfied now because we are partially sanctified. We have, in the Spirit, a deposit of what is to come. But it is not here yet, and at times we are filled with discontent at the thought of it. I am not yet who I will be when I stand before Christ face to face; neither am I fully at home as a pilgrim who sees only in part what I will one day see in full. With all of creation, I am still groaning for restoration, reconciliation, redemption.

I believe the rest that Augustine is talking about is eschatological rest--and we are not there yet. Our way there is full of longing, filled with discontent that the world is not as it will be, marked by the difficulty of waiting and the burden of hope. But how beautiful this longing is! For our disappointment is a testimony to the promise that we will rest in God. It is a signpost that declares we are indeed on our way home and God is truly reconciling all things. Until then, our restlessness can be deeplydevotional, our discontent a constant confession that we anticipate being fully restored to the way we were meant to be: in full fellowship with the Father.

In bouts of disappointment and restlessness we may feel far from God. We may feel as if the love of Christ is out of our reach and that God is no longer near us. On the contrary, disappointment is a signpost of God’s very presence. It is a sign that bids us to turn around when we have wandered. It is a sign that boldly reminds us when we are homesick that God is indeed among us preparing a home.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

Chopra’s Manufactured Jesus by Ravi ZachariasHe’s been presented as a counter-cultural hippie, a rebellious zealot, a compassionate carpenter and the central figure of the world’s most popular religion. But who is Jesus of Nazareth really? In his book, “The Third Jesus,” author Deepak Chopra usesScripture to reveal the message of Jesus not as one of repentance and salvation through faith in Him, but one of god-consciousness that every person can achieve on their own. Is Chopra correct? Join us for a fascinating program as we investigate Chopra’s claims about Jesus with Ravi Zacharias. Click here to listen:http://www.rzim.org/USA/Resources/Listen/LetMyPeopleThink.aspx

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

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